


Knighting up the Night

by betenawr



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, questionable logic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-16 02:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14802674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betenawr/pseuds/betenawr
Summary: Straying from the light.A series of white nights.Kaito is convinced that Shinichi must be his boyfriend after being protected by him during a heist.Inspired by crack.





	1. Kid gains membership to the club

“You saved me.”

Kaitou Kid was still, his cape fluttering in the wind. His words were slightly stilted, Shinichi noted, lifting his head. The two of them were still wound-up, the adrenaline heating their blood. Shinichi didn't respond, waiting for whatever strange emotion which was affecting the phantom thief to pass. He consciously relaxed his hands, feeling himself grow calmer.

Kid had drawn closer, stopping only three feet away, his palms showing in a sign of non-aggression. Not that it really meant much, knowing him. His cheerful grin was almost natural, the moonlight masking its shakiness.

“I can't have a  _detective_  protect me, in front of all of my fans no less!” He gestured down towards the crowd, and then up towards the helicopters, one of which included Nakamouri-keibu. He was pointing and gesticulating frantically, his body practically clearing the window. The cheeky little shit made sure to wave and smile angelically, to which the inspector only increased in volume, causing him to be almost audible. They didn't need to hear him to guess at the contents in any case.

“You would have preferred getting shot?” Shinichi's eyebrows rose. “I'll have to relay that to Hakuba once he's back. Didn't know you had a death wish, although I should have figured. You get your kicks out of dressing up as a white, flashy target, and yet you haven't already been dyed in red and buried six feet under.” He shook his head briefly. “It's nothing personal; you're just one of hundreds by now to have this honor. Try not to let it get you down, I don't need you coming to 'I was rescued by Kudou Shinichi' reunion parties.” He walked past the thief, heading for the stairs.

The magician's grin faltered momentarily. He faced the crowd, telling them the show was 'regretfully over for now' and disappeared with a few colorful smoke bombs. Inspiration struck him, and he quickly disguised himself as an officer. After asking around, he almost gave up, before finding his prey exiting the third-floor bathrooms. The lighting of the hall was dim, reflecting the warm tones of the carpet.

Kaito cleared his throat. “I can't let a detective save me,” he repeated. His grin grew wider. “But I'll make an exception for my boyfriend.”

He gave out a red rose, which was received mechanically, and leaned in for a kiss. That when Shinichi regained his senses and stepped back. Or tried to, because the thief was currently mimicking an octopus, tentacles and all. After a few seconds of struggling, he hooked his foot behind an exposed sock, turning it into an awkward dance of trying to trip the other, composed mainly of improvised footwork. They ended up toppling, the detective falling on the other, while still making sure to keep his mouth away from the other. ' _Now_ this _is_ _something_ _he's not stealing, does that make my mouth more secure than a_ _state-of-the-art_ _iron safe?'_ Shinichi thought wildly. He was blaming the sudden change in position for his confusion.

Before the full-sized detective could pursue that line of thought, Kid had already let go, pouting. For a phantom thief, he had terrible survival instincts. His pale eyes were oddly vulnerable under the poor lighting.

“What was that,” came an unimpressed growl.

“A kiss, you know, that thing that you do to show affection, you're supposed to let me press my lips against yours and  _open_  your mouth, unless you'd rather—”

“I mean, why did you want to kiss me? I'm not even gay.”

“I'm not gay either. Besides, who said I'm male.”

“Don't play games with me; you're lying under me.” Shinichi strengthened his hold on Kaito.

“So eager to keep me? Calm down~ There's no need to be so impatient about what's under the suit. I'll give you answers once we get to that part of our relationship.”

“I—” he sputtered. “We're not going out. We're not even friends.”

“Don't worry, I've apparently 'converted' plenty of straight men. Without ever being friends with them, or meeting them, to boot.”

“We are not going out. Ever.”

“You know, I've heard that when people don't contract their words, there's a bigger chance that they're lying.”

“You'd know that kind of thing,  _Kaitou Kid_. And that was for emphasis. Because you're never going to get this through your head, are you?”

“Nope, sorry~ one hundred percent blockhead here.” Shinichi swore he could hear stars and hearts dripping from the spaces between the idiot's words. “Come on, go on one date with me. I have invitations to a pretty sweet magician's show on Friday, or we could go see a movie. We could even have fun at a theme park, there's one not that far from here. Not that any of those could compare to the excitement of knocking a sniper and his accomplice out cold,” he ended dryly.

“Why don't I just turn you in right now and save myself the trouble? And don't mention theme parks.”

“Touchy subject? A case perhaps? Why so cold, is it the Mouri girl?”

“Ran has nothing to do with this. Don't you dare talk about her, you pervert. I still haven't forgotten what you tried on the blimp.”

“Ooh, first name basis,” he teased.

“We're childhood friends.”

“So I still have a chance?”

“Explain why you even want to date me, then. After all, there's a slim chance that something you'll say will get me to fall head-over-heels in love with you.” He snorted lightly.

“First of all, you don't know until you try~ Second, I admire your looks along with your sharp mind. You challenged me and kept up to me even in your shrunken form, so I doubt I'd get bored of you quickly. Finally, you're not a complete goody two shoes, which is a huge plus in my books.”

“You're crazy. That told me barely anything about you, except that you have weird tastes.”

“Do not, and what does that say about you, that you fit my criteria. Didn't you come here for a change of pace?”

“Means nothing; how do you—”

“A little bird told me. It's just one date?”

“I'm leaving. Get out of here before someone sees you. I don't want to deal with you in the next twenty-four hours, even if it were behind bars; I'm  _exhausted_.” He rolled off the thief and stood up.

“I'll see you home? Okay okay, I get it~ See you next time, meitantei-kun.” He waved.

“Try not to invite snipers to your next heist.”

“I have you to play hero anyway, don't I?”

He didn't respond. There was a flash of smoke and the savior of the police department was free to wipe the dust from his suit, deal with the inspector and plod home, where he instantly fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Moving fast

It took three weeks before the next heist notice came in. Hakuba was still out of the country, which left him to solve the riddle. It didn't help that the note had a postscript explicitly inviting him and every other detective they could find.  _K_ _eep the night from_ _"_ _being too dull_ _"_ _, my_   _ **ass**_. Of course, if he had really wanted to stay home, he would have, invitation or no invitation. The phantom thief could really use to be humbled by a few stray soccer balls.

Sonoko had also been invited to the soiree, as her family knew the owner of the gaudy ring Kaitou Kid was currently targeting. She, in turn, had invited Ran and her father. She bragged about her boyfriend's virtues during the appetizer and entree:strong, mature and above all loyal, the list went on. Once that vein of conversation dried up, she turned her attention to Ran's love life. Her loud excited demands to bring Kid to her weren't that bad— _because_ _now_ _she ha_ _s_ _to thank the thief in person for proving_ _how good a choice she made—_ compared to the unsubtle hints and nudges she was sending in his direction. Uncomfortable, he ran out with the poor excuse of having to go to the bathroom. Right after turning the corner to the hall, he bumped into someone.

“I'm so sorry. Are you alright?” said a familiar male voice.

Shinichi resisted covering his eyes and groaning. He took the offered hand, getting up quickly.

“I'm fine. Thanks for asking,” he said, moving quickly to dart him.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” he said, barely avoiding the needle.

“I'll have a better chance of catching you if you stay still, Kid.”

“Are you mistaking me for someone else? I'm flattered, but I don't think we've ever met. I was looking for my friend, so I'll be going now!  _Bye-bye_ _~_  mister trigger happy!”

A few seconds later, he noticed his watch was missing.

The words he let out were decidedly impolite.

* * *

 

At nine pm sharp, the lights in the dining room went out, which honestly was very on-brand for the phantom thief. That, or being suddenly blinded by their intensity. While the police fumbled around, Shinichi took out his night vision glasses, catching sight of Kid one table away. He had already stolen the fake ring, but it seemed that he had noticed the switch. Shinichi's long stride almost let him catch up to him before he got away, the view of his back slipping away with a puff of smoke. The magician escaped under one of the empty tables, which had been hosting quite a few task members during the dinner.

The rest of the room was in chaos. Kaito hoped he could use that to his advantage, but the sound of inflating rubber dashed his dreams. He quickly ran away from the soccer ball that had been aimed under his table.  _How did he find me so quickly?_ Dodging, he tried to remember exactly when they could have switched out the rings. It must have been during dinner. His eyes widened. It was almost certain the great detective had the real one. After a few seconds, he had a new plan.

Suddenly turning the lights back on, he knelt a foot away from Shinichi.

“Will you marry me?”

A moment of silence, and then a chorus of " **WHAT** " resounded, killing the pair's ears.  _Hopefully now_ _he'll_ _be confused_ _and freeze_ _._

The detective took a step towards him which in turn activated a trick wire, causing Shinichi to be shot with a dart. After catching him easily and casually patting him down, he found the real ring in his inner pocket. Taking a moment to slip him a "thank you" note and the fake ring, he didn't notice Shinichi's subtle shifting movements until they were cuffed together and it was too late.

“I hope you don't mind steel, darling,” a certain smug detective smirked. His hand was covering the lock.

“I preferred the ring. It complimented your eyes,” Kaitou Kid responded, keeping his voice steady. Either the darts had little to no effect on him, or he had faked being shot. More importantly, these handcuffs had a tumbler lock and would take at least a few seconds to break out of, and that was if he could even get the Heisei Holmes to remove his hand long enough. Slipping out was impossible, even with his glove keeping his skin from catching. The cuffs were uncomfortably snug. Shinichi had chosen a pair that fit his wrists perfectly.

_Why did I invite him again?_

The task force was nearly on them, practically drooling in excitement. He dropped two of his last smoke bombs with his free hand. He then quickly removed Shinichi's pants and went to work on his suit, adjusting it and dying it white. The sleuth jerked in surprise, but still kept a firm grip over the lock, doing his best to make Kid's job difficult. Kaito took a piece of tape with his mouth and tried to stick it on Shinichi's face, while simultaneously putting on his stolen pants with his free hand. It ended up catching on the detective's cheek and the side of his nose, but it still muffled him. Shinichi loosened his grip enough to give Kaito an opening, so the thief quickly picked the lock. The detective's flailing took Kaito's monocle off by accident. Stepping back, he recolored his suit and exchanged their ties. Putting the hat and cape on the bait, he slicked down his hair, making himself practically a Shinichi double, minus the shoes. That was quickly remedied with a sloppy dash of black polish.

Making his way out of the thinning smoke, he yelled, “I've captured Kaitou Kid!”

He walked confidently to the edge of the room, ignoring any yells coming from under the pile of policemen. The tape had gotten loose by now.

“I'm not Kid! I'm Shinichi! He undressed me and then disguised himself as me!”

“Don't listen to him, Kaitou Kid would say anything to get out of his situation. I know that, because"—Kaito turned off the lights and taped the switch down—“I'm the real Kid.”

Taking advantage of his head start, he made his way down the hall and up the stairs. He greeted the few stragglers by telling them the chief needed them back at the entrance. By the time the lone policemen he had passed realized that  _maybe_  it was strange for Kudou to run up the stairs, he was long gone. He ran off of the roof, and landed on mats he'd added on a neighboring building, then made his way down the fire escape. Feeling relatively safe, he checked the ring in the moonlight.

It was the fake.

Great. He didn't have anything planned on Saturday anyway.


	3. Buzzing

Shinichi had decided to ignore the glances and whispering that had been hounding his steps for the last three days. The rumors barely had any basis in truth on the first day and were getting progressively worse with every minute. The only saving grace was that no one had alerted the media or posted anything substantial online. Shinichi knew there were ways to deflect unwanted publicity, but he didn't want to start actively getting involved with these things unless it began affecting his personal life or his ability to solve cases. The only things close to relevant were the threads on Kaitou Kid's sexuality, which had gotten an influx of new users with suspiciously anti-crime names.

The evening of the third day AK (After Kid, as Shinichi had started mentally referring to the cursed mock proposal incident), Shinichi's curiosity had gotten the better of him. It had been a long day, the stormy weather complimented by a hearty dash of attempted homicide, followed by a pinch of interpersonal drama and ending with a bang. Quite literally, a small bang, as a bomb threat unexpectedly turned out to be more than pure bluff. Work aside, the murmuring and odd looks had left him feeling slightly self-conscious; a sensation he did not enjoy, as it reminded him of his time as Conan.

Tired though he was, he felt restless, like an upturned stone that had not been put back into place properly. His mind buzzed with snippets that he couldn't have helped but to overhear, filling in pregnant silences and hastily cut off conversations with inferences of his own. Shinichi sighed. Deciding to play it safe, he fished a few underutilized articles of clothing from his closet. With a surgical mask obscuring his face, he confidently strode out of his front door before he could start second-guessing himself. Hunched as he were under a ratty black umbrella which was still wet from earlier, no one on the street would probably have recognized him anyway. Walking with purpose, he made his way to an internet cafe he'd sometimes frequented when he was younger. _Not that there was anything_ wrong _with being curious_ , he reminded himself. Nevertheless, with the help of a VPN and a private browser, he went ahead and immersed himself in the fan-theories and other nonsense for a full hour.

Stretching his back, he yawned. His mind felt calmer, even though he didn't quite understand the public's obsession with Kid—well, no, he understood that the thief could be quite fascinating, but did that really extend to mundane personal details such as his favorite dish? _Or_ , he winced, _other more personal matters_. He decided to let the matter lie. He felt comfortable enough in his newfound knowledge of what was being said about the thief, the task force, and of course, himself. Sure, none of it would have occurred to him, and certainly hadn't been his focus while chasing the moonlight magician, but there had always been vague speculation about Kid's romantic inclinations. Either way, he really didn't need anyone—for example, Haibara, his parents, and especially his mother—to hear about this.

It had gotten to the point where even Hakuba had sent him a curt missive, assuring him that he thought no less of the detective.

* * *

  
Four days later the police officers were still acting strangely around him. Shinichi briefly entertained the notion of staying home for the night and curling up with a good cup of decaf and a mystery book. He could wait until the rumors died down, wait until the thief decided to employ another flashy scheme that would surely bring the attention back to his magic, but finally decided he couldn't let Kaitou Kid win. Thieves were the ones that were supposed to run and hide; this was his pride on the line. Who would have thought, the great Heisei Holmes, cowering under a bit of extra scrutiny? Besides, he'd already dallied enough this morning, staying in bed until eleven o'clock.

Steeling himself, he exited his house into the cool evening air.

* * *

  
"Hey, Kudou!”

Why was Hattori here, bro-slapping him on the back? _Why?_

Shinichi smiled sickly.

“Fancy meeting you here, I thought we were rather far from Osaka. You didn't even tell me you were coming, we could have gotten lunch or something.”

“Kazuha thought it would be a nice surprise. Said you could use the moral support. Don't worry, I got your back.” He winked. “Heard the gossip, but I said there was no way in hell you'd be dating that show-off. We're best friends, so you would've told me about it.”

Shinichi immediately chastised himself for his earlier distrust. Although, if you had asked him a few minutes ago, he would have sworn his best friend would have positively pounced on the occasion. It was prime teasing material. Maybe the strange attitude of the task force was affecting him more than he'd thought.

“So where's your girlfriend anyway, I thought you guys were attached to the hip.”

“She joined the girls downstairs, they should be here any minute.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Think they have coffee here? If this is anything like last time, I'll need it.”

“Wonder what's keeping him up so late,” a policeman whispered sotto voce, in a sly tone that suggested he knew exactly what the detective had been doing.

Shinichi turned around slowly.

“I must commend you for your sharp hearing. Now, if only half your focus was directed towards securing the perimeters, maybe a certain thief, which I'd like to remind everyone presently gathered is the reason any of us are even stuck here for the foreseeable future, wouldn't have already slipped by security. Several years of experience would say otherwise, but I'm sure that even at this late date you could learn to be competent. Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen...”

He slipped out of the room, inwardly fuming. How could he have lost his temper like that? He wasn't that young brash teen eager to prove himself any longer, so why was he so easily destabilized? The comment hadn't been anything special but combined with Hattori's presence, he'd felt exposed. Of course, he needed to show that these comments weren't acceptable, but that didn't mean that he could let himself be so affected.

He made his way to the hall. Too many people were waiting for the elevator, so he opted to take the stairs. Maybe that would let him burn off some of his frustration.

Between two flights, his phone vibrated once against his leg. It probably was another text message from Sonoko. He really wasn't in the mood to check.

Slightly out of breath, he made a beeline for the refreshments. The police officers had set up a coffee machine in the back, so he helped himself to a few lemon biscuits while he waited for his instant coffee, hoping everyone else would be too distracted to want to talk to him. Hattori had exited the elevator and was making his way towards him... followed by Ran, Sonoko and Kazuha.

_Well, time to face the music._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed.
> 
> Don't hesitate to roast me in the comments because nothing happens in this chapter.


End file.
